The Kofan community of Sinangoe is situated in the pristine, and highly biodiverse headwaters of the Aguarico River in Ecuador, an important tributary of the Amazon River. The community has organized a land patrol, and are using mapping technology, camera traps, drones and legal strategies to defend their ancestral territory from a gold-mining boom that threatens their land, their health, and the health of countless communities living downriver.

Recognition to Land, Territories and Resources

Communities need ownership over their ancestral land in order to protect forests. With no formal land title traditional communities often face serious conflict when trying to evict illegal loggers, poachers and land grabbers. Who will believe their claims without precise maps and legal title deeds?